


“Whoops”

by TumbleSnout



Series: Requests [3]
Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arthur Whump, Blood and Injury, Gen, Hurt Arthur Morgan, Hurt/Comfort, Not Beta Read, Pre-Cannon, We Die Like Men, Whump, Young!ARTHUR, Young!Dutch, Young!Hosea, hurt Arthur, pre-game, yeehaw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-11-18 18:51:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18125108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TumbleSnout/pseuds/TumbleSnout
Summary: Of course, Arthur could handle it.“I’ll get ‘im!”He sprinted towards the door, pushing past Hosea as Dutch called after him.”Art- Stay here, we’ll handle it! Goddammit-“”It’ll be fine, come back!”But he ignored them, shouldering the door open and bursting into the frigid air as he scrambled into the next coach.Of course, he probably would have listened to Dutch and Hosea if he’d known about the patrol just beyond the trees.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fleetwooddmac](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleetwooddmac/gifts).



“Ladies and gentlemen, this is a robbery. If you’d be so kind as to give your valuables to my associates here, nobody needs to get shot unnecessarily.”

A robbery.

Holy shit, this was happening. This was REAL. As real as the floor beneath him, vibrations from the train tracks adding to his goosebumps.

Arthur was glad he had his mask up, not only because he’d prefer to avoid a bounty, but to conceal the fact that he was grinning like a damn idiot.

For the first time, he was working alongside Dutch and Hosea like a real outlaw. A real job, on a real train, with real stakes.

Of course, it wasn’t his FIRST job, per se. There’d been that bank they’d robbed, but it was a small town bank with virtually NO security and only a small take. It’d been a test run, of sorts.

Plus, they’d kept only a fraction of their take that time, anyway, giving out most of their spoils to the poor, like one of the books Hosea had used when he’d taught him how to read- What was it called again?

Robin Hood, right-

“Mister A.M., it seems our friend here is a little hesitant to relieve himself of his valuables.”

Dutch’s call from the back of the train car shook him from his thoughts, and Arthur turned to face the passenger he was referring to. The man was still in his seat, unlike most people who had hunkered down on the floor. While still visibly afraid, he wore a defiant scowl.

Of course, he knew that Dutch could easily handle it by himself, but he obviously wanted to let Arthur have a chance to do something other than stand there and watch, which he was immensely grateful for.

He stormed over as Dutch stepped back, who was obviously smirking from behind his mask. Clenching his fist, he felt a rush of satisfaction as the man flinched.

”You best do as he says, i just bought this shirt and I ain’t exactly wantin’ to bloody it-“

“Oh, Goddammit!”

Arthur stopped in his tracks as Hosea cursed, whipping around to catch a glimpse of the door closing. Someone had bolted, and they hadn’t noticed until it was too late. Hosea made eye contact with Dutch as they struggled to figure out what to do about the loose end.

Of course, Arthur could handle it.

“I’ll get ‘im!”

He sprinted towards the door, pushing past Hosea as Dutch called after him.

”Art- _Stay here_ , we’ll handle it! Goddammit-“

”It’ll be fine, come back!”

But he ignored them, shouldering the door open and bursting into the frigid air as he scrambled into the next coach. The rogue passenger was sprinting down the luggage car towards the engine.

Shit, if he managed to get the conductor to stop the train, they’d be fucked.

He raised his gun and fired two shots into his back. The man dropped with a scream of agony as Arthur sprinted forward, watching blood stain his jacket. He shot him in the back of the skull to put him out of his misery, blood spattering across the floor.

”Shit,”

He sighed. That had gotten messier than he’d liked.

Of course, he probably would have listened to Dutch and Hosea if he’d known about the patrol just beyond the trees.

”The train’s bein’ robbbed!”

_Well, shit._


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur had only one thought as he watched the patrol thunder out of the trees in horror, kicking up snow in their wake.

_Dutch is going to kill me._

”Hands up, boy! You won’t swing if you come nicely!”

One of the lawmen shouted, riding alongside the train. A gun was pointed directly at him, and he had no choice but to dive back into the train car despite the man’s promise that he wouldn’t be given the death penalty, which was likely a lie.

The gun went off, and Arthur couldn’t help but bite down on his tongue and let out a muffled scream as the bullet tore straight though his thigh. His face twisted in pain as he cursed, holding the offending limb for a moment.

Adrenaline coursed through his veins, and he forced himself to get up, using a suitcase to haul himself to his feet. He readied his gun, taking a deep breath before whipping around the corner and firing off a few shots at the lawmen. Arthur winced as a horse went down with a scream of pain and terror. He hadn’t meant to hurt the animal.

He didn’t have much time to be guilty. Survive now, feel later. He ducked back around the corner as bullets whizzed through the space that his head had been mere seconds before.

He reloaded his gun, ready for round two. Before he could potentially get his head blown off, however, two distinct whistles sounded from the passenger car, followed by whinnies.

“Arthur! We’ve gotta bail, c’mon!” Dutch called after him, concealment be damned.

”But what about-“

”He’s right, we need to go! Forget the money! We can’t spend it at the end of a rope, son!”

Hosea had a point. Arthur sighed and whistled for Bodeciaa, watching the buckskin mare charge up in front of The Count and Silver Dollar, grunting with effort. Another bullet whizzed by and Dutch returned fire as Hosea leapt onto his horse, just barely making it onto the saddle. Arthur pulled back the hammer on his own gun, but flinched, not from the gunshots, but as a result of Dutch’s shout.

”GODDAMMIT SON, I SAID  _BAIL!_ GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I SHOOT YOU MYSELF!”

Arthur, while knowing it was an empty threat and Dutch would never intentionally harm him, decided that he didn’t want to be at the receiving end of his fury. He took a deep breath, gritting his teeth against the pain.

He made a flying leap towards his horse.


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur just barely managed to grab the saddle horn, gasping as his feet scrambled for the stirrups despite the pain flaring up his leg and the nagging lethargy starting to seep through his bones, leaving him lightheaded.

Just as Dutch leapt to The Count, he scrambled into his saddle, spurring Bodiciaa as the trio sprinted into the woods. The patrol was unable to follow suit due to the train between them.

Their horses kicked up snow, grunting from the effort as they thundered off into the trees.

Pain shot through his leg with every bound, causing him to grit his teeth. Arthur’s face twisted in pain through the bandana, but he didn’t complain or attempt to stop. Not until Dutch gave instruction.

Oh, dear lord, Dutch was going to kill him.

God, if he had just  _listened_ \- But how the hell was he supposed to know about the patrol? He hadn’t even realized they’d slowed to a trot until-

”Goddammit, Arthur, are you even listening?”

“Dutch, it was a mistake-“

”Yeah, it sure was. He should’ve stayed behind.”

”That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

Arthur winced. Yup. They were going to have his hide and probably turn him into a rug.

”He DELIBERATELY disobeyed us!”

A skin rug? That’d be weird. Maybe they’d have his head stuffed and mounted on a plaque on the wall. Either way, he was dead.

Their voices felt too loud, every snap making his head hurt- oh god, they were snapping at eachother. Hosea stopped his horse, yanking his reins sharply to the side to face Dutch as he pulled off his bandana.

“He’s just a boy! It was his first real job, Dutch!”

”He needs to understand that-“

”This is what annoys me the most about you, Dutch. You’re a damn control freak-“

”Oh, so  _that’s_ what it’s about now? It’s not a damn control issue, he could’ve gotten himself killed!”

”You NEVER take responsibility-“

”Oh, so you ran all your checks beforehand?”

”YES! I sure did, and they came out of the woods! It was a complete coincidence and you know it.”

Arthur found it harder and harder to stay upright. Dutch yanked off his bandana, revealing his furious expression. He realized that his was still on and felt the need to remove it.

Jesus, when had his own arms become so heavy?

He grasped at the bandana, struggling to find purchase on the edge until he managed to pull the cloth down to his neck.

”And yes, it was my fault that the man bolted when he did, but Arthur was only trying to help. He should have listened, but you KNOW he had no ill intent-“

”Dutch-“

”And yes, we’ll have to punish him but only AFTER you’ve calmed yourself, Van Der Linde-“

”H’sea-“

He was met with an angry chorus of voices, causing him to flinch.

”STAY OUT OF IT!”

”Can’t you see we’re-“

”I- I don’t-“

And suddenly his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and his whole world was tilting sideways. The ground rushed up to meet him. He hardly registered the shouts of alarm or the grunt his own confused horse made as he crashed into the snow.

His world exploded into pain and cold as he dropped into the fresh powder. Arthur struggled to fight against the wave of unconsciousness, attempting to keep his eyes open as Hosea dismounted, Dutch right behind him. Since when had he been underwater? He didn’t feel wet, so why did everything look and sound to muffled and foggy?

Hands were on him, flipping him over onto his back. Mouths were moving quickly, and he didn’t even realize that he was supposed to answer a question until blissful darkness took over.


End file.
